


Falcon & Freeze

by OhhMyy



Series: Coming Back To Life. [11]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Banter, F/M, Flirting, Hurt/Comfort, Jealousy, Mild Language, Objectification
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-25
Updated: 2016-10-25
Packaged: 2018-08-24 15:05:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8376706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OhhMyy/pseuds/OhhMyy
Summary: Sam Wilson doesn't live with the rest of the group, preferring to remain somewhat normal; his visits to the tower never fail to rub  a certain soldier the wrong way.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry it's been a while since I updated, please accept apologies and fic!

“Oh Christ” She hears Bucky mutter under his breath; breaking her attention away from the companionable silence they’ve been sitting in, reading next to each other, sock covered feet entwined in a mash up of limbs. She tears her eyes away from the page she’s reading, closing the book around her thumb and using it as a bookmark. Her eyes find Sam standing at the junction between kitchen and living room, usual smirk firmly on his face as he shoots a nod at Bucky before turning his eyes to her; he lets out a long whistle before smiling at her.

“Well, Hello pretty lady” She stands to greet him, placing her book on the sofa. She brings him in for a brief hug before stepping away and facing him, indulgent smile on her face. If he were in any way a threat she’d be the first to call him on it, but this is his game and he’s nothing but friendly banter with her, for all his charm and sleaze he’s never actually tried anything and she’s certain he’s no actual interest in her.

“Hello Sam” She tries to make it sound as uninterested as possible but she’s sure he can hear the warmth beneath her tone, fake nonchalance discarded as the corners of her mouth tug against her will.

“How ‘you doing?” He roams his eyes over her body, stopping to stare at her cleavage. She rolls her eyes and gestures with a hand in the direction of her face.

“Not too bad but my face is up here”

“It’s all so good, how’s a brother know where to look?” He moves his eyes up to her face as he says it, looks at her to check he hasn’t actually offended but smirks again when he sees the easy smile on her face that indicates she’s actually finding this funny.

“You could start with where I’m talking from”

She hears footsteps behind her that signal Bucky has left the sofa and she hears him just as he comes into her line of vision; standing beside her and glaring in Sam’s direction. He squares his shoulders and steps forward slightly so his body is in front of hers without actually blocking her.

“Have a little respect, Wilson” There’s an edge to his words she’s not used to; despite their less than polite conversations she’s never actually seen them fight. She glances at Bucky and sees his shoulders are tense, jaw set and she’s not quite sure what’s changed between their normal digs at each other.

Sam’s about to retort before she turns her upper body and places a hand on the crook of his metal arm, flexes her fingers slightly against the steel; warmer than usual where his body was pressed against hers on the sofa. He turns his head to look at her, jaw loosening slightly and she raises a gentle eyebrow, confusion etched on her features but she strokes a thumb along the manmade join anyway.

“Bucky, he’s just messing around”

“Yeah, calm yourself, Frosty”

“Make me, pigeon”

Bucky steps back again to stand beside her and she startles when she feels his hand come across her back to rest on her hip. Sam raises an eyebrow at her and if there’s a way to shrug with a face that’s the look she shoots back. She knows Bucky comes from a more gentlemanly time but she’s feeling a little like a piece of meat he’s trying to keep away from Sam; understands they have a rivalry that sometimes goes beyond friendly but she doesn’t belong to anyone and she doesn’t want to take sides in this war she doesn’t even understand. She steps out of his reach and between then slightly; motions a hand in each direction.

“Woah boys, chill”

“Yeah, chill freeze pop” Sam scoffs and she shoots him a warning look.

“Sam, not that it’s not lovely to see you but, what are you doing here?”

“I came to grab lunch with Cap”

“He’s on recon with Clint and Nat. Government hackers in Washington” Bucky moves back to his position on the couch with a huff, picking up her book and placing it gently on the table in front of him but she can feel his eyes on her back as she moves her stance to mirror Sam, more relaxed.

“You wanna get lunch with me then?” She considers briefly, weighs up how annoyed Bucky will be if she leaves with his ‘frenemy’ but they’ve only been sitting in silence and she really does like Sam; for all his missions with the group and equally as troubled backstory he’s largely uncomplicated, says what he means and is always fun to spend time with. She casts a glance in Bucky’s direction but he turns his eyes away as soon as he catches her gaze.

“If you’re paying, sure”

“Woman, you live with Stark, I gotta work hard to pay my bills”

“You had the chance to live here, don’t guilt me, Falcon” She pokes him gently in the chest as she laughs, meeting the resistance of toned muscles and he grabs her hand playfully before she can pull it back fully, pressing it to his heart dramatically.

“I would have moved in but you wouldn’t bed share”

Bucky splutters quietly in the background, choking on the air around him and she watches Sam shoot a wide smirk in his direction as she pulls her hand away, flicking him playfully on the chest before resting her hand on her hip.

“I suppose all those comfortable guest rooms just weren’t as tempting?”

“As waking up to you? Never!” He wiggles his eyebrows at her suggestively and she reaches forward to pat his arm in condescension. She wont lie that it's half a chance to touch at the muscles underneath; living with a group of humans made of steel and though she's tactile by nature the wall of pure tension she meets when she touches any of them never ceases to amaze her (she's almost certain that a few bruises she's found upon waking are from joining in with their rough play and once genuinely sprained her wrist slapping Steve Rogers on the butt)

“Oh Sam, we really need to get you a girlfriend” He laughs at her, bravado lost for a second under a warm boom that escapes without intention.

“I’ll hold auditions, you wanna apply?”

Charlie pauses for a second in faux consideration, knocking her head from side to side, lips pouted as she weighs up the option before shrugging.

“Maybe later, I’m busy having self-respect right now” She hears Bucky laugh loudly at that and feels a little victory cheer inside her head at not only having won a battle of wits against the infamously quick Falcon but having made Bucky cheer up. Sam shoots her a look of exaggerated hurt.

-

He agrees to meet her at the tower entrance and she makes her way over to Bucky who is pretending valiantly to read his book but his eyes are unfocused and he’s gripping the pages a little too tightly. She places her fingertips lightly on his shoulder, giving him the opportunity to shrug her off but he doesn’t.

“You alright there?” He glances up at her, heaves a sigh and lowers his head back to his pretend reading again, jaw tense.

“He pisses me off so much” He grits out from between clenched teeth. His voice is low and though she feels for him she really can’t fathom the hatred between the two men; gets the feeling Sam reminds Bucky of his former self, sharp wit and good with the ladies. She reasons it’s either that or both men need to fight over Steve and get it out of their systems.

“I know. He’s a lot to handle but he doesn’t mean any harm Buck” She rubs her thumb briefly against the skin on his neck, just above the hem of his jumper before removing her hand completely.

“You’re really going to lunch with him?” He’s looking up again, searching her eyes for something but she doesn’t know what. She smiles gently, attempts to be reassuring though she’s not sure why and he turns back to his book, closing it and placing it in front on him on the coffee table.

“Yes, I like Sam”

He startles slightly, looks up at her again and she’s starting to feel dizzy from watching him flip back and forth like his neck is being controlled on a puppet string.

“Like…like him?”

“What are we, ten? He’s nice Bucky. I don’t understand why you’re being so weird about this”

“He’s not good enough for you” He mumbles under his breath, turns his head and refuses to meet her eyes. She scrunches up her face in confusion and heaves a sigh. She resists the urge to snarl a retort that he doesn’t have the right to say that, she’s given plenty of hints that she’s interested and he’s ignored them all.

“It’s not a date Bucky, it’s just friends having lunch. Come with us if you want”

He doesn’t. Chooses instead to stay inside and mope around, dragging himself down to the gym to let out some frustration. She’s gone for roughly two hours and the time drags slowly as he watches the clock.

When she comes back she makes a beeline for the gym, skip in her step and bag in hand. She pauses by the door, peering in through the glass panel and watches him for a minute. Watches the muscles in his back tense and clench as he hits he punch bag, hips swivelling and feet moving gently against the hard floor. She bites down gently against her lip as she watches sweat drip slowly down his shoulder, wife beater vest showing off an impressive deltoid on the flesh side.

She’s always been fascinated by the metal arm and she tilts her head to the side as the plates slide together, she knows the flexibility in the Stark made arm is greater than his previous one, lighter metal alloy with no trace of communist star, but it packs less of a punch and she can see the reverberation in it as his remaining shoulder muscles tense with each hit.

He stops in his tracks and whips his head towards the door as she enters; breathing heavier than usual. She smiles and raises the small paper bag in his direction before bobbing on her feet as she waits for him to take the gloves off his hands and pads closer to her.

“What’s in the bag, Doll?”

“I got you a present” She beams at him, brandishing the bag at him and gesturing for him to take it. He pries it gently from her hand, opening the top and peering in; finding a small figure of himself, hair shorter and metal arm noticeable absent, clothed in American Military uniform.

“It’s…me?” His face is a mask of confusion and she has a sudden pit in her stomach at the thought this gift might not make him as happy as she’d hoped it would, his eyes are a little downcast and she panics.

“I…we were talking about merchandise…I couldn’t find you so I went to the museum after lunch and scoured for a war era Bucky Barnes…I didn’t think it through, I’m sorry”

She’s suddenly nervous, worried that she’s overstepped a boundary she wasn’t aware of; they’ve spoken about his past and he’s definitely aware (along with the rest of the team) that she’s developed an odd obsession with Avengers gifts but she’d been so excited to finally find a Bucky Barnes item that she’d not considered that this might not go down well.

Bucky is suddenly guilty that she’s turned into a stuttering mess, he clutches the bag tighter to his chest, silent indication that he does in fact want to keep it.

“No Doll, this is great, I didn’t think you‘d find anything”

Smile firmly back in place she reaches out and squeezes his arm, relishing in the warm soft skin that’s slightly damp to the touch.

“I’ve been looking for months” He’s not sure if it’s the fact she’s put so much effort in or the fact she’s found something but his heart flutters as he squeezes the paper bag a little tighter in his hand. “I wanted to get you something so you’d know how much you meant to people, people remember Bucky Barnes and it didn’t feel right that I couldn’t find one of our family”

He’s pretty certain his eyes are glistening. He shoots her a small thankful smile which may or may not waver at the edge of his mouth and shifts his weight from foot to foot. His free hand comes up to rub nervously at the back of his neck.

“You have a nice lunch?”

“We did, Sam was very gentlemanly so you needn’t worry about respect” She’s ribbing him, gentle teasing that belies her perplexity at his previous anger. “He did want to know when the stick up your ass is coming out though”

He barks a laugh, runs warm fingers through the back of his dampened hair and grins apologetically, somewhat sheepishly, at her.

“I’m sorry for being an ass” He means it even if he’s still angst on the inside, doesn’t want to ever hurt her feelings even if he thinks Sam Wilson can go to hell; hell he doesn’t even actually hate the guy.

“You are forgiven”

He delves into the bag and gingerly pulls the figurine out, one hand coming down; crumbling and clutching the empty bag and the other gripped around miniature Bucky’s waist. He brings it up slightly and admires it, taking in the familiar though shrunken visage of his former self. He’s not entirely sure how he feels about the object but the fact she brought it means he’s largely resisting the urge to dislike it.

He sneaks a glance over to her face and notes her hopeful smile, eyes wide as she watches him and he smiles at her; admires her as she closes her eyes slowly, huffs out a breath of relief he hadn’t realised she’d been holding in. He stares as her breaths a deep breath in before opening her eyes to look at him, cheeks turning slightly red in embarrassment.

“Now if you want to find something current I’m going to insist you come with me. We’ll have lunch, make a day of it”

He’s not sure if she actually wants help or if it’s an invitation for a day out with her but either way he’s not about to turn it down; smirking at her he playfully takes the time to consider his options, making an exaggerated display of raising his eyebrows in contemplation.

“Oh, alright, I guess I’ll just have to suffer through lunch with you”

“Quite right” she beams, leaning up to press a kiss to his cheek, moving her hand down as she pulls away to run a thumb lovingly over miniature Bucky’s head. “I’m sure you’ll cope”


End file.
